It Only Looks Easy: MarikxOC Oneshot Contest Entry
by HexeYuki
Summary: He lied to her, and she hates him for it... doesn't she? A dreaded encounter brings old memories to the surface and along with them new questions. Can Tsura find it in her heart to finally forgive?  oneshot


**A/N: Well here's the one-shot for Rugrat247's Mark/OC contest! *jazz hands* It's kind of long and vague, but I kind of felt like writing that way so ha! (and yes, it is under 3000 words.) Now enjoy the story, because I'm a sly dog! A **_**very **_**sly dog. X3**

x-x-x-x-x-x

It Only Looks Easy

"_**To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.**__**"**_**~Louis B. Smedes**

_Plop. _Tsura blinked slowly, turning her head upwards in response to a fat, wet blob of snow landing directly on her nose. A few more flakes hit her face as her sharp blue eyes scanned the soft grey clouds, silently watching the snow fall. The redhead suppressed a shiver and then kept walking, trying to keep her body from feeling the frigid cold simply by ignoring it. Already the soothing numbness was seeping down through her skin, keeping her immune to the late night chill.

Just for a moment she paused, stopping her calm and steady walk as her emotionless blue eyes gazed up at the blank, one-colored night sky. Her breath curled into wispy balls of vapor before drifting high into the air, eventually dispersing amongst the many falling snowflakes. For just a fleeting moment, she seemed mystified by the white powder, her gaze firmly fixated on the falling crystals. But after a minute or so, Tsura merely shook her head and went back to walking.

Soon enough, the blue-eyed teen was completely frozen, her blood feeling more like liquid ice as it flowed through her veins. All she had to shield her from winter's chill was a thin, threadbare sweatshirt- a sad excuse for a piece of clothing really. It didn't really do much good at all, as Tsura was able to feel the sting of the cold as if her arms were totally bare. Why she had decided to go for a walk like this in the middle of December was far beyond her. But then again, she'd never been one to think things through.

Tsura stopped for a moment and gazed across the street, knowing she had to cross sooner or later if she wanted to get home before she caught pneumonia. And seeing as there currently were no cars (at least, she _assumed _there weren't any) now was the perfect time. After short pause, the teen started to stride across the powder-covered pavement, now grumbling to herself about various, insensible things; her frustration and impatience clearly induced by the cold. Seconds later, however, she was forced to jump backwards onto the sidewalk, having nearly been run over by a random motorbike that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Again, the world was set against her. Not to mention Tsura was now covered in the huge spray of slush that the motorcycle had thrown up while passing her. And in result Tsura was now soaked and _pissed. _She hopped to her feet, shaking an angry fist.

"Watch where you're going, asshole!" The redhead screamed rather loudly. She didn't exactly expect that her comment would be acknowledged, so Tsura didn't bother waiting for a response before crossing her arms and preparing to continue on her way home. But much to the teen's surprise, the driver began to turn around and head back in her direction. Tsura sighed, smacking her forehead with her hand as she did so.

_Shit. _She thought sourly. _This is just what I needed._

The motorcycle halted beside her, pulling up slowly before stopping completely. The driver then dismounted and pulled off his helmet, revealing the bronze face beneath as his platinum blond hair fell quickly back into place. His lavender gaze was slightly cold and somewhat annoyed, although Tsura returned it with a glare a hundred times as hostile. Of all people- it just had to be _him. _

"You should probably know who's behind the helmet before you start calling names." The blond Egyptian said smoothly, a small, smug grin tugging at his lips as he spoke. Tsura crossed her arms and pursed her lips proudly, her glare still persisting.

"And _you _should keep from nearly running people over." She shot back, although it had been her own fault for trying to cross the street without looking in the first place. The blond was not offended in the slightest by this comment. In fact, he seemed rather amused by it.

"Of course. My apologies." Marik scoffed sarcastically, causing Tsura to give an annoyed eye-twitch in response.

"What are you doing here anyway? Last time I checked, you were back in Egypt." The redhead growled, silently adding- _And far, far away from me. _Marik didn't answer her question, instead turning to another topic of conversation.

"I find this quite ironic." The Egyptian stated somewhat smugly, although there was no familiar smirk paired with his cockiness. Tsura, although she tried not to show it, remained somewhat confused.

"What? You mean the fact you almost killed me?" Annnnd there was the smirk.

"Somewhat." Marik responded. "It was how we met the first time, was it not?"

"Not that I'd care to remember." Tsura snapped. She did, however, remember quite clearly. Her, wandering mindlessly while Marik had zoomed past her, nearly running her over and leaving her coughing and sputtering in a cloud of dust. He'd turned around of course, but she was still pissed. Just like she was now. The redhead sighed, not wanting to start the stroll down memory lane. "I can see you haven't changed much. You're still annoying and full of yourself."

"You used to appreciate my witty sarcasm." Marik recalled smugly, still smirking as he did so. He got another eye-twitch in response.

"Yes well that was back when I was a sucker that you managed to captivated with your pretty-boy charms." She scoffed angrily. "You know, back when I thought you actually _cared _about me." Turned her back to the Egyptian, crossing he arms and glaring into the middle-distance; every one of her words dripping with venom. "But you were lying the whole time."

"How do you know I was lying?" Marik softly countered. Tsura whirled around to face him, her eyes flashing with a deep, fiery rage.

"You used me to get a freaking trading card! I don't care if it was a stupid _god_- do you have any idea how humiliating that is?" Tsura looked absolutely infuriated, filled with such angry passion it was almost as though she was learning of this betrayal for the first time. "I thought you were different, but you were just as stupid and selfish as the rest." Her hands were now clenched into little fists and her icy blue gaze was downcast, all her anger spilling out from her gaze onto the sidewalk. She screwed her eyes shut, determined not to get too emotional; determined not to allow herself to cry. "You lied and you hurt me. And thanks to you, my life is more screwed up than ever. I don't think I'll ever even consider forgiving you for that."

During her little rant Marik had merely stood, taking every word without a single wince or flinch. There was no denying, no desperate explanation or asking of forgiveness. There was only respectful silence. It was only after Tsura had been completely silent for awhile did he even so much as speak.

"I didn't expect you to." The lavender-eyed teen stated quietly, his eyes focused solely on Tsura- whereas her gaze could barely meet his before it was forced back to the pavement. "Neither of us were ones to let things go, as unhealthy as that practice is." Marik's gaze shifted upwards, fixing itself on the snow. "I know you'd immediately reject this, but the offer for a clean start is out there- whenever you want to take advantage of it." Once again, his eyes were on her. "Now onto the more immediate problem. It's mid-winter and you're soaked."

"If you're offering me a ride home you can forget it." Marik only sighed.

"I'd argue further, but I think it's safe to assume such efforts would prove to be fruitless."

"Yup." Tsura crossed her arms and glared at her companion. "Now I suggest you leave before I get really mad and decide to get your pretty blond butt into the next millennium." Marik gave a fake wince and then laughed dryly.

"I don't think I'll take you up on that offer." He stated with an amused grin. "But I'm still not letting you freeze to death simply for being an idiot with no coat." Immediately after this comment, Tsura felt something drop over her shoulders- that something being Marik's surprisingly warm black coat. The redhead scowled as she examined the jacket, only to jerk her head upwards in response to the roaring of an engine. Only seconds later she watched the motorbike pull away from the sidewalk- speeding off to whatever its destination had been before the redhead had gotten in its way.

For no reason in particular, Tsura ran her index finger along the lining of the coat's front pocket, not expecting there to be anything but the soft, dark fabric it was composed on. She was, as it turned out, quite surprised to find a tiny, folded up piece of paper tucked away inside. Curious, the redhead pulled the note out and unfolded it, finding nothing more than a neatly scrawled phone number. How the bloody hell had _that _gotten there? Was Marik and freaking ninja or something? Tsura quickly glanced up to the stop where she had last seen the platinum blond speed off on his motorcycle, but by this point there was nothing but the glow of lamplights and a storm of wild snowflakes. Scowling, the teen crumpled up the paper and shoved it back into the coat's pocket. The only way Tsura would ever call that psycho was if he had some big apology speech prepared- in which case she'd listen, laugh, and then hang up. Not that that would ever happen anyway.

_The last thing I need is him in my life again._

x-x-x-x-x-x

Tsura sat in her room, staring intently at a sheet of paper as she tried to concentrate on her math homework. That, however, was easier said than done. Her mind wandered all of the various thoughts that were scattered throughout her uneasy mind- focusing on anything but solving equations for school. All she could think of was Marik. All the past moments they'd shared. It made her want to vomit. Of course none of it had be _real_- he'd only used her to get that stupid Slifer card, hadn't he? Oh what a fool she'd turned out to be in the end. But still… the memories remained.

X

_They were standing near the ocean, side-by-side. Tsura was clearly enjoying herself, smiling widely as the soft sea breeze toyed with her short orange locks. Marik's expression at the moment was, of course, unreadable. Both teens watched the sparkle of the sun gleam on the surface of the shifting waters, listening to the roar of the waves as they crashed onto the beach. Tsura took a deep breath of sea air and sighed in content. _

"_Mhm. It smells so nice." She observed calmly. Marik smiled cleverly, a strange, wolfish gleam in his lavender eyes._

"_Not as good as you." He replied smoothly. Tsura snorted and shoved the blonde's face away from her own. _

"_Oh please," she huffed proudly. "Stop trying to score brownie points with me." Marik shrugged innocently, still smirking. _

"_It was worth a shot." Tsura shook her head sadly before quickly turning her attention back to the ocean. _

"_I wish I'd remembered to wear a swimsuit." She mused regretfully. "The water looks so nice."The teen poked her foot at the receding waves, wishing she could just dive right in to the cool, shimmering waters._

"_Do you really wish to go swimming that badly?" Marik asked, his intentions impossible to read. Tsura titled her head to side confusion. _

"_Yes, but I don't –" She was cut off as the blond Egyptian gave her a gentle shove, sending her toppling into the waves. Tsura sat up seconds later, sputtering and coughing with her eyes wind in surprise. When they settled on the culprit, they narrowed._

"_Do you think this is funny?" She growled, looking none too pleased with her current position. Marik only continued to grin. _

"_Of course I do. It's absolutely hilarious." _

"_Jerk. At least help me up, won't you?" Tsura gazed up at him with an irked but innocent expression, holding out her hand expectantly. Marik grinned and took her hand, only too late realizing his horrible mistake. Tsura immediately pulled him down beside her, using as much force as possible to send Marik tumbling into the water. She giggled, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Whoops. Guess I don't know my own strength." _

_Marik sat upright, now equally- if not more- soaked than his companion. Individual droplets of water glistened against his skin, sparkling softly in the sunlight. Tsura flushed somewhat when she realized she was staring and quickly averted her gaze, hoping desperately that her companion hadn't noticed. However. her worry was quickly interrupted by a small wall of water splashing her face and soaking her once again. _

"_What was that for?" The redhead demanded. _

"_Alright then, you've had your fun. Now let me have mine." Marik reached out her arms and pulled her close, gently resting his forehead against hers. Tsura instantly turned pink. _

"_What are you-?" She demanded in a panicky tone, suddenly very nervous in response to her companion's unexpected movements. Marik grinned. _

"_Having fun." A few seconds of awkward closeness later, Tsura found herself gently pushing her lips against his, her eyes quickly closing in content as her companion copied her actions. Marik wrapped his arms around her and she did the same, drawing the pair closer to each other as they kissed; both completely lost together in the moment._

X

Tsura groaned, placing her head in her hands as the memories swept over her. She didn't want to deal with this stuff again, not right now. It wasn't fair. She hadn't done anything wrong- except acted like a total sucker and fallen for some idiot's charade- so why was she the only one still suffering? It was her own fault she supposed- her and her inability to let go. So… who was actually to blame? Her or Marik? Suddenly the odds were mounting greatly against her.

Tsura let out a scream of frustration and, for no good reason at all, threw her book against the wall before falling back onto the bed. She hated Marik for lying to her, and- as she'd told herself so many times before- she would never stop.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Tsura opened her hot and sticky eyelids, glancing weakly over at the clock. The bright neon red numbers told her she'd barely been asleep an hour. Strange, it had felt like centuries. The redhead scowled, sitting upright and rubbing her forehead. Her previous thoughts had left her… confused. Confused and frustrated. Those moments… those warm memories she'd once cherished, had they meant anything? She'd loved Marik. Had those feelings merely died? And had he even once truly returned them?

The still-sleepy teen quickly hopped out of bed- still fully clothed- and shuffled out of her room and into the front hallway, all her actions strangely robotic and automatic, as if she wasn't in charge of her body anymore.

"I'm going out." The redhead called to whoever cared to know- although she doubted anyone would. She quickly slipped into a pair of heavily abused sneakers and opened the door, only to pause and stare at the simple black coat that was carelessly discarded onto the tile floor. Without knowing the reason as to why, Tsura quickly scoped it up and slipped it on not waiting to change her mind before she stormed out the door and into the outside world.

The snow was falling once more, raining down in the form of white, lazy puffs traveling slowly on the cold night air. Tsura gazed up at them for a moment before continuing her walk down the street, not knowing what to do or where to go. After a few minutes she passed by a lonely payphone, already over in a hefty layer of white powder. The redhead just stared at it for a moment, subconsciously fingering the crumple ball of paper in her pocket. After a moment, she pulled it out and unfolded it, gazing at the now-wrinkled numbers while her eyes flickered with some inner-turmoil. But through all this- a small, wise voice prevailed.

"_The first step to learning to move on is learning how to forgive." _

Tsura hesitated once more at then, without really realizing what she was doing, strode over to the payphone and picked up the receiver, digging into her pocket for some change before popping it in. Her fingers merely hung in the air, suspended almost fearfully over the gleaming silver buttons. What felt like hours later, Tsura finally punched in the number from her little slip of paper, not giving herself the chance to turn away again. The anxious teen listened to the empty ringing of the other line for a moment before getting the answering machine. Tsura listened to the robot-like message while waiting for the inevitable beep, eyes closed and chest tight. After a moment, the redhead spoke.

"Marik? It's Tsura." She paused, taking one deep breath to remove the rest of her nervousness. "Can you meet me in the park? I want to talk to you." The redhead hesitated a second more and then hung up, staring at the pay phone for a moment before turning her head up to the star-filled winter sky. Maybe it wouldn't be as easy to forgive as everyone else made it out to be, but she was willing- finally willing- to try.


End file.
